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The Irish Sun

NB.1.8.1 Covid strain with 3 NEW symptoms hits Irish holiday hotspots as expert warns virus ‘may spread more easily'

A NEW COVID-19 variant that comes with three new symptoms has been spreading across popular sunshine hotspots across the globe. Despite COVID-19 being declared a Advertisement 1 The new strain is currently being experienced at holiday hotspots Credit: Getty Images - Getty The new variant, known as NB.1.8.1, has spread in several countries after being identified earlier in January as a sister strain of the Omicron variant. The Health Protection Surveillance Centre has discovered a substantial surge in cases of The number of cases associated with the new variant has jumped from 3.7 per cent to 33 per cent in the past five weeks, which the While we know the main symptoms of COVID-19 are mainly associated with respiratory issues, the new variant's symptoms are related to the digestive system. Advertisement READ MORE ON COVID-19 The strain is now the most common in In addition to Ireland, this type has been found in the Writing to The Conversation, Dr Lara Herrero explained that the new variant could be faster spreading than other COVID-19 variants. She said: "The evidence so far suggests NB.1.8.1 may spread more easily and may partially sidestep immunity from prior Advertisement MOST READ ON THE IRISH SUN "But importantly, the WHO has not yet observed any evidence it causes more severe disease compared to other variants. The Covid Files: Inside the Wuhan lab leak scandal "Reports suggest symptoms of NB.1.8.1 should align closely with other Omicron subvariants." NEW VARIANT SYMPTOMS The variant comes with typical symptoms, including sore throat, fatigue, fever, mild cough, muscle aches and nasal congestion and in some cases, gastrointestinal symptoms may also appear. The new variant could include symptoms such as: Advertisement Diarrhoea Constipation Nausea The WHO has noted that the current vaccines should still protect against severe diseases caused by this variant. Despite the vaccine protecting them from severe diseases, a study revealed that the neutralising response of antibodies was around 1.5 times lower to the new variant compared to the recent variant, LP.8.1.1. This means that it is possible a person infected with the new variant may be likely to pass the virus on to someone else, compared to previous variants. Advertisement For some people, particularly those who are immunocompromised, COVID-19 remains a severe disease.